Historic Navy Destroyer Arrives As Floating Ship Museum's Centerpiece

The 418-foot USS Edson destroyer was visible from Bay City, Michigan’s shoreline on Tuesday, as it arrived to become the centerpiece of a local floating ship museum on the Saginaw River, northwest of Detroit.

The accomplished ship – which served in the Vietnam War and Cold War – arrived after being thrust by a tugboat from Philadelphia. The journey began last month. Launched in 1958, the USS Edson is a national historic landmark. Its first deployment was in January 1960 to the Western Pacific and it eventually travelled to Vietnam three times.

Bow of the USS Edson at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

Hundreds of residents, including Navy and military veterans, lined the shores to catch a glimpse of the vessel as it passed through places like Port Huron. Many boarded the Princess Wenonah, which took passengers on a cruise down the Saginaw River to greet the Edson as the ship arrived at a temporary dock.

The destroyer’s conversion to a working museum is estimated at $1.4 million. In May, the ownership of the vessel was contractually transferred from the Navy to the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum. The Edson’s permanent home will be near the Independence Park Boat Launch in Bay County’s Bangor Township, states the Washington Post.